Mogadishu mayor, officials wounded in suicide attack

The mayor of Mogadishu has been wounded in a suicide attack inside his office during a security meeting, officials said.

“The mayor was wounded in the blast and he is currently being treated,” Mohamed Abdullahi Tulah, deputy mayor, told state-owned Radio Mogadisho

“Some of the commissioners of Mogadishu district have also been wounded,” Mohamed added.

Earlier United Nations special envoy James Swan had met with the
mayor, Abdirahman Omar Osman, at the headquarters of the Banadir
district, which encompasses Mogadishu, according to the mission’s
Twitter account.

However UN sources told AFP news agency he had left by the time of the explosion.

“The blast was very heavy, and I saw people, fleeing some
with shrapnel wounds outside the Banadir administration headquarters,”
Mohamud Shariif, a wtiness, told AFP.

It is not clear how the bomber managed to enter the mayor’s office or what officials were attending the security meeting.